Itchy Cocker

[AndyB]

I am a newby.  My dearly loved Cocker dog, Jazz, is seven years old and has always been rather an itchy dog since we had him as a puppy.  He is treated for fleas regularly and I honestly do not believe this is the problem.  For several months I have been giving him Yumega on his food which does seem to have helped with the itching and scratching.  However, I noticed that he seemed to be rather hyper in the evenings, after eating.  He would not settle in the lounge, darting from one spot to another every few minutes.  I did not make any association with the Yumega until a few weeks ago I accidentally administered a  very slightly larger dose to his food.  Within half an hour of eating he was completely hyper, running round the house with a slightly wild look in his eyes.  I was really worried and no amount of stroking and talking to him gently to try and calm him seemed to help.  In the end I contained him in a very small area in the house and eventually he calmed down and I then began to wonder if it was the Yumega that had caused this reaction.   I immediately stopped giving it to him and the "hyper" behaviour has stopped completely.

However, he is now back to his very itchy self and it is very distressing to see him.  Chunks of cocker fur on tghe carper when he has a real go and he also chews at his feet.  Can anyone suggest anything I can use to help this itching or has anyone else experienced similar problems with Yumega. 

[MaggieR]

Not experienced the same with yumega - but I've noticed a massive improvement in Maggie's scratching since stopping wheat in her diet.  I'd cut it down a hell of a lot when we moved to raw, but she was still having tiny pieces of dog biscuit as a treat at the park when we were out and a couple of gravy bones before bed - stopped them last weekend and she's a whole lot better.

[Jane57]

I give riley evening primrose oil added to his breakfast recommended by the vet as he was itchy when younger, also salmon oil to his dinner, his coat is lovely and soft and itches less.

[john51]

I've just had a quick look and come across this. It suggests that the flaxseed used to provide the omega 3 component in yumega is not tolerated by all dogs. I guess it's possible that that could be the problem. If you switch to a fish-based source of omega 3 you may get the benefit of reduced itching without the irritation that the yumega seems to be causing.

http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/board/topic/102781.html

Good luck!

[LurcherGirl]

He may be allergic/intolerant to one of the ingredients. It might be worth getting the ingredients separately (which would be cheaper too) so you can work out what makes him hyper. Salmon oil is the first one to try really as that on its own will have similar effects as Yumouve.   

[AndyB]

Thanks a lot for all your replies - I will certainly look into the Salmon oil and research your other suggestions.  Hope I am doing this right - this my first time responding to a question. 

[LurcherGirl]

Another oil to look into which I find great is coconut oil. 

[ali2010]

Our vet recommended evening primrose oil tablets for our cockers itchiness rather than Yumega as there isn't as many ingredients

[AndyB]

Hi

Thanks again for all your replies.  I have been giving Jazz Grizzly Salmon Oil on his dinner every day for almost three weeks now and his coat is starting to feel much silkier.  I have noticed his skin is not so dry when I groom him and over the past couple of days he does seem to be less itchy and looks more content with himself.  So watch this space - hopefully we are on track - I realise it will probably take a few more weeks to see a real difference but so far it seems to be working. 

Thanks again for all your suggestions.